NFL: One bold prediction for every team in 2021-22
![Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) rushes back to the locker room after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns Extras 10](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F954d021f769fef845fdf11f1b6e38fba1938440b3910b3d1749056b1111c073e.jpg "Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) rushes back to the locker room after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]Browns Extras 10")
One bold prediction for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021-22: They look somewhat ordinary offensively
From the moment Patrick Mahomes stepped onto an NFL field as the full-time starter in 2018, the offense for the Kansas City Chiefs has been practically unstoppable.
Over those three years of offensive magic, the Chiefs have ranked no lower than fifth in passing yards per game and they’ve flat out led the league in total yards per game two out of the past three seasons. Yet, for as great as Mahomes has been during that stretch and for as smart as head coach Andy Reid has been as well, they could be headed towards a more “normal” regular season this upcoming year.
Everything about Mahomes appeared different. The former number 10 overall pick could effortlessly launch the ball down the field, place unthinkable spins on the ball and even throw no-look passes. It was as though Mahomes was from the future but with his peers have seemingly caught up, most notably Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen, Mahomes could be forced to share that dynamic spotlight.
Are we saying that Mahomes and company won’t tear through the league? No, of course not. But what we are saying is that during the 2021 season, it won’t seem as though Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense are the only ones that light opposing defenses on fire. The rest of the NFL has a number of quarterbacks that juxtapose quite nicely to Mahomes now. The days of Kansas City looking like the best offense in the league will be just about over as they fall to the middle of the pack.